Section 4 Summary

In the absence of a satisfying marriage, Carla agrees to an affair with Mantini. They meet in a room above his crystal shop, once a week. Carla revels in Mantini's attentions. One afternoon, as he rubs scented crime into her skin, Carla talks about Ben's indifference. Mantini tries to tell Carla that separation is part of life and reveals the circumstances of Lucia's death by hemorrhaging after the birth of the baby.

Mantini has also lost his daughter to his mother-in-law, who came for the child after Lucia's death, angry that Mantini would not let Lucia deliver the baby in Italy. The mother-in-law refuses to understand that Lucia loved Mantini and would not return to Italy for any reason.

Mantini tells Carla that Ben is now a player, because of the experiences he has had here in the year before Carla arrived. He...